I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween. I relented and let my KatintheHat carve a pumpkin, despite last years’ post-Halloween nightmare.
Last year she carved one about twice as big on the front and the back. She named it “Bob”. The day after Halloween I was ready to send “Bob” to the trash, but she said she wanted him to stay a couple more days and then she’d take care of it. I was working when I suddenly heard a “Splooooosh!” and a sort of sickly splat like you hear when someone barfs on the sidewalk.
Yep….”Bob” had collapsed on himself and then sort of slid off the wall onto just about everywhere on our front walk. The wall, the window, the sidewalk, the flowers…everything was covered in decomposed pumpkin goo.
Of course, being a righteous middle school girl, she squealed and swore she wouldn’t, couldn’t make herself get near a pumpkin who had skipped rigor mortis and gone straight for decomposition long enough to clean up after it, so I got that honor.
Two hours later “Bob” was buried in the trash can. I learned a lesson or two from that experience. First, never carve a pumpkin on the front AND the back, because it hasn’t got any load-bearing weight to keep itself from turning to orange ooze the next day. Second, never trust a middle schooler to do ANYTHING other than what they want to do. So this year there was going to be no pumpkin.
Then the Eldest moved home. And gave me his saddest “how can you rob my sister of her pumpkin” face. And I relented.
But “Bob the Second” is already gone. He died at midnight and is buried in the trash bin. There will be no toxic pumpkin cleanup for me this year.
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Tags: halloween,nablopomo, pumpkins, home, family, fun
